Greetings from OKC!

[PaintedDoll_405]

Hello everyone!

My name is Kenzi and as of tonight, I am the proud parent of a 8 month old German Shepherd named Alex.

Before I moved to Oklahoma last year, my friend received a German Shepherd for Graduation. I saw the pup develop into a fine, obedient, loyal dog. So I told myself, "self, you're gonna get a GS". After months, and months of visiting kennel after kennel, breeder after breeder, I found a true fit... and I was able to bring him home this evening.

The transition so far has definitely been better than expected. Alex has been checking out the apartment, getting a feel for me, he's crate trained and has been in there most of the time He's letting me pet him... sorta.

I'm open to ALL tips, opinions, stories, ideas, whatever! I would love to hear them. I guess my first questions are:

-Will he ever like me? :-(
-What kind I do to make the transition easier for both of us?

Thanks everyone! Looking forward to meeting some of you.

Kenzi

[Zisso]

He is handsome!

Sometimes it takes awhile for them to settle in and learn a new routine and all.

Enjoy him!

[Emoore]

Welcome from just north of Dallas!

Of course he'll grow to love you! He doesn't know you yet. Your best bet for making the transition easier is to just try to keep in mind that you're a stranger to him right now, and GSDs are aloof with strangers. Keep him in the house with you, keep him near you, but kind of let him make the first move as far as any physical touching. For the first week or so just focus on being around each other. Take him for walks, but don't take him out to the dog park and the PetSmart and the family reunion with a bunch of kids running around. Keep it low key. After a month or two, get enrolled in an obedience class with him. Even if he already knows commands and you know how to teach him, the process of being together in a learning environment where you're learning together, focused on each other in the presence of other dogs and other people is incredibly bonding. Take him on lots of walks. Let him sleep in the bedroom with you.

Welcome to the forum!

[PaintedDoll_405]

Emoore,

I just came back from Dallas yesterday. I was there for a conference. Glad to hear someone is close!

How long did it take for you and your pup to warm up to each other?

[Emoore]

Originally Posted by PaintedDoll_405

How long did it take for you and your pup to warm up to each other?

It kind of happens in stages. I volunteer with a rescue group and have dealt with this issue a lot with adopters as well as with myself. In my general experience it takes a month to two for the dog to really start to feel like a part of the family. However, around the 1-year mark something really magical happens and the dog goes from feeling like a dog that lives in your house that you care about, to being almost an extension of yourself. He starts to feel like a friend and family member quickly, but that soul-deep bond happens after about a year. And then by the time he's 9 or 10 you're closer to your dog than you are to anyone except your spouse.

[Emoore]

By the way I know it's kind of far but when the weather's nice we do some off-leash hiking and get-togethers here in the McKinney area. PM me if you want to be added to the invite list.

[Angelina03]

Hi and welcome, he's beautiful.

[kbella999]

Congratulations! He looks very handsome. I have 2 GSD's and also live in OKC. We do agility mainly but have also done tracking and some disc dog work. Check out the OKPaws group here in OKC.

[Reno]

8 months is old enough to be weary and slightly aggressive in his new surroundings, but Alex is still just a young pup. Talk to him, and spend as much time with him as possible. Let him out of his crate, and sit in the room with him, if he chooses no company right now, so be it. The more you feed him, and get to know each other, the better he will become.